Spring!!!

Its spring! Hoooraay!!!!

Even though we've turned the corner on the season we still have 5 more Mondays this semester.......

However some of today was pretty great.

We had a representative come from CORE, which is the organ donation coordinators that work in Western Pennsylvania.
It was a really great and informative talk. Nurses have a big part in the organ donation process and patient and family emotional concerns are of highest importance.
Did you know you could help up to like 15 different people by donating different parts of your body after death?? Thats incredible, and such a great legacy to leave behind.

Me and Smorey are organ donors....are you?

Then we had a "Head to Toe" Competency exam in lab. We all assessed our 'patients' fantastically like the brilliant student nurses that we are now.

Here is Smorey checking over my assessment sheet while chillen' on my sweet turquoise blood pressure cuff

And back to school!

Monday back from Spring Break started off at 8am with an exam in Nursing Management of Adults with Acute/Chronic Health problems (we call it 1282 for short)

And then a little excitement in lab, with breast and testicular exam day

Once again yay for models!

Here is Smorey and Ryah practicing

We promise we act professional when we have real patients :)

Spring Break!

This past week was Spring Break!

Grant, Smorey, Laura and I traveled to Seattle for some adventures.

and oh the adventures we had!

Here we are warming up and enjoying some decadent hot chocolate at The Chocolate Box after getting soaked in an unusual-for-Seattle downpour

Here is Smorey and I chillen with the Fremont Troll

Happy hour with Liza at the Pike Brewing Co!

Jammin with Jimmy Hendrix in Capitol Hill

At West African Dance class! Getting nearly eaten by SarahLee (my dance teacher)

Karim (drum teacher) takin a bit outta crime

"You better go home and practice your drumming Smorey!"

Friday night chillen out at Kings Hardware in Ballard with a Rainier tallboy

Saturday night we went to Jason and Bridget's wedding. Were not quite as cute as Smorey, but I'd say Grant comes in a close second in his tux

And now back to Pittsburgh for some more school...sighhh

Tests and Celebration

Friday was filled with tests, but not so bad tests actually.

We had a practice simulation morning with a mannequin with a complicated health history, heart rate, blood pressure, the ability to talk etc. where we got to practice being real nurses. So cool!

And then we had a practice NCLEX test (nursing boards). Not nearly as fun but still useful and relatively painless.

And then at 2:30 we finally made it to spring break!

We celebrated with margaritas!

After seeing patients need blood transfusions, donating blood has been on my mind.

And today with free Pirates tickets on the line, Smorey and Grant and I decided to give blood today!

Success!

Yesterday I went to a Nursing PhD info session. It was really interesting to hear about (did you know the Pitt nursing PhD program has been around since the 1950's?!?!) however I'm not ready to commit another 4-6 years to school right now. Maybe later though...

I also went to a Midwifery/womens health issues/research interest group. We are going to start meeting every couple weeks for discussions. I'm pumped about this since my labor and delivery rotation this summer will only be HALF a semester...

Also had a FeelGood4Life meeting last night at the Burgatory. It was delicious. And Smorey got to meet his food counterpart-the Smore shake, deeelish

Oh and if you are thirsty for more of my random musings about nursing school, I wrote a blog post for FeelGood a few weeks ago.....
However beware, FeelGood makes me really gooey for humanity, but I just can't help it sometimes.
http://www.feelgoodworld.org/cheeseworld/first-day-jitters

Today I had clinical-filled with providing a million medications for my patient (19 to be exact yeesh)

and

Tomorrow!!!

HESI -Practice test for the NCLEX

and WISER! Practice test for emergency medical situations on simulated talking, bleeding, breathing manniquins, oh yeah!

Warning! Enemas! (on mannequins)

Today we practiced giving enemas! To our manniquins.

Apparently 3o years ago in nursing school, students had to practice giving enemas on one another....so glad I'm in school now rather than then.

Here is smorey assisting Beth in giving the enema.
Don't forget the lube!

Again warning, you're about to veiw a mannequin's netherregions!

(the yellow spot is left over iodine from yesterdays foley catheter exam :) )

Good form.

We learned a valuable lesson today though.

What goes in must come out! Even if its a dummy

We had 5 students practice enema-ing the manniquin, however he has no reflex to send fluid back out (thank goodness) so his internal container filled up and started leaking out. Beth was quick to save the day and plugged him up. (I'm sorry Beth I can't get myself to put that photo up, its too graphic for non medical people :)

Drink up your fluids people! Stay healthy so you don't need to take a lot of medicines! Don't get constipated and need to have an enema! (they are important for colonoscopies etc, but still, don't make yourself need these more than necessary)

Oh Pharmacology

Another late night studying for a Pharmacology test....

"if you get chest pain climbing the broken escalators in Victoria that is probably just stable angina, and it should go away, but if you get angina while just sitting contemplating life, you should probably pop your prescribed sublingual Nitroglycerine tablet under your tongue, and call 911 if it doesn't go away in 5 minutes"

Laura contemplating life. Sans chest pain.

We use our computers to study because kids in the class share their study guides with eachother, so we have lots of material to reference. This group is the best.